Entanglement
by KittenKin
Summary: Kurogane finds out that Fai has a thing for having his hair touched...and a thing for Kurogane.
1. Caught

**Warnings:** Male/male relationship, spoilers for just about the whole series, sex, language.

**Author's Notes:** Written in response to a request at the LiveJournal community CLAMPkink that read, "Kurogane finds out Fai **likes** to have his hair touched, played with, and fingers running through it. Puke-worthy romantic love-making ftw. Kuro-top Fai-bottom, please." I inserted as much puke-worthy romance as I possibly could while still trying to remain post-series in character, so if fluff isn't your thing, you should walk away now.

**Edit 01/02/13:** Only the first two chapters are eff eff dot net compatible. The last four chapters are a bit too sexy for this site, so they have been pulled down. The entire story is available at my dreamwidth site (link available on my profile) in one big post. Sorry for the inconvenience!

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><p>It was a measure of how much Kurogane had changed throughout the years spent traveling through various worlds and dimensions that he could now smile easily and without restraint. The smiles were still comparatively rare though, and Fai always felt a thrill when he caught sight of one. The sensation was especially potent when the smile was directed at him, and he taught himself to enjoy the pure and simple pleasure of it instead of ruining these moments with the wish that those smiles could hide something more for him. Fai had changed, too.<p>

Right now, however, Kurogane's smile was pissing Fai off.

"Would you stop grinning and _help me?_" he demanded. Fai glared as the dark-haired man snorted and smirked and just _stood there_ in the middle of the forest with his arms crossed, watching as Fai struggled to free himself from the berry bush he'd gotten tangled up in.

"Attained the highest wizardry rank in Celes at an early age..."

"Kuro-sama, it _hurts!_"

"Can dodge magical attacks and sword strikes even with no depth perception to speak of..."

"_Pleeease?_"

Kurogane snorted at the absolutely pathetic whimper and finally stepped over to assist, moving easily over fallen trees and uneven ground, and through golden beams of sunlight that shimmered across his shoulders and dark hair. Fai went limp in relief and watched admiringly as the man approached, but then tensed when the ninja loosened Ginryuu from its sheath.

"Don't _CUT _it!" he cried out in horror, and Kurogane blinked at the vehemence of the wizard's reaction.

"What?" the ninja asked exasperatedly. "I'm not cutting your damn head off. Just some of your hair. You're too tangled up for me to just pull you free, so hold still."

"No don't, please!" Fai begged, and grabbed at Kurogane's wrist to still the man's sword arm. "I'll free myself. Never mind."

"The hell is your problem?" Kurogane asked, sheathing his sword with a soft snick. "I never would have pegged you as being so vain about something like your hair."

"I'm not vain about it," Fai protested, trying to escape by reaching back and snapping a few branches but failing miserably. "It's just...special." He didn't want to explain the tradition he'd run across early in their journey and adopted for his own that dictated that one should grow their hair out while committing themself to a cause or the accomplishment of a goal, and cut it only when admitting defeat or celebrating victory. Fai would grow his hair out until Kurogane took him into his arms or turned him away.

Kurogane raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn't pursue the subject, instead shaking Fai off and bringing Ginryuu singing out of its scabbard, brooking no protests or interference this time. A particularly annoyed growl subdued the wizard, and he found himself rewarded for his compliance when Kurogane cut him free without sacrificing even a single inch of hair. The berry bush wasn't treated with nearly as much respect.

"I suppose now you're going to whine at me until I help you get all that crap out of your hair," Kurogane grumbled, still kneeling nearby as Fai mournfully patted at his head to assess the damage. The years had brought wisdom indeed.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd save me the trouble of thinking up all sorts of outrageous reasons why it's your fault that I got stuck while picking berries," Fai agreed, with real gratitude in his voice. With a long-suffering sigh the dark-haired man gestured for the wizard to turn around and then settled himself more comfortably into the cool, rustling leaves, long legs splayed out on either side of the knotted-up blonde.

Fai worked on the left side of his head while Kurogane picked at the right. The ninja grumbled uncomplimentary things for a while but soon left off thinking up insults so that he could concentrate on removing as many thorny twigs as he could with the minimum of blood from the fingers of his right hand and badly stifled yelps of pain from the blonde. The more hair they managed to clear out and untangle, the more awkward Fai's arms got until finally he just let them fall into his lap after a few pointed flicks from Kurogane's fingers, leaving the back of his head for the ninja to tackle on his own.

The blonde just sat, slightly hunched over and playing idly with the leaves scattered around him, a small smile curving his lips. It was a silly sort of situation, but he cherished moments like this, where there was nothing important going on; just two friends and a comfortable silence. Fai had decided years ago to be content with what he had instead of stewing with dissatisfaction over what he didn't. It was erring on the side of caution, but their hard-earned friendship was too precious to him to risk. Kurogane was not exactly demonstrative and Fai didn't have enough hope to build on that the ninja preferred men, and that out of all the men within reach, Fai would be one of the top picks for a bedmate. The blonde was confident that he was Kurogane's most treasured friend. Potential lover...not so much.

As the danger of getting stabbed with an errant thorn diminished, Kurogane began combing through the sections of freed-up hair with his fingers, and Fai closed his eyes to better revel in the sensation. The ninja had as much control over his custom-built and -fitted artificial arm as he did his flesh-and-bone one, and the hands running through blonde locks were equally controlled and careful. Fai had always enjoyed having his hair brushed out. There was something particularly nice about it that made him feel loved and cared for. Perhaps it was because it was somewhat of a maternal gesture. Perhaps it was because he was simply wired that way.

Whatever it was, it was amazing, and Fai soon gave himself over to the enjoyment of it. As the twig-tugging lessened and the untangling continued, he began to make contented little hums at the measured, careful slide of those strong fingers through his hair. The fact that it was Kurogane doing this to him, _for _him was enough to make him want to bottle this feeling up and keep it forever. If it felt this good to just get a friendly finger-comb, what would happen to him if the ninja ever raked those fingers across his skin in passion?

Shivers of pleasure ran down his spine and raised gooseflesh on his arms when he felt fingernails scrape slowly across his scalp, and he began to slowly tilt his head this way and that, seeking more pressure over a particular spot or trying to make a certain caress last longer like he was a cat chasing head scratches. He was practically purring by the time all his tresses were twig-free and smooth again, and when long fingers gently carded all his hair back in a final sweep, raking from his temples all the way to the back of his skull and then pulling through the trailing ends, Fai tipped his head back and moaned.

The hands froze, still woven through the ends of his hair, and Fai froze likewise. Blue eyes blinked open and he stared up at the leafy canopy overhead in dawning horror as his brain floated up through the hazy layers of hedonistic happiness that it had been buried under and gave him a quick replay of how he'd been acting the past few minutes. His heart started hammering in his ribcage and then almost _stopped_ when Kurogane's hands fell away and then immediately repeated the action that had drawn that excruciatingly embarrassing noise from his throat.

He flinched when the ninja's hands laid themselves at the sides of his head again and couldn't repress a shiver and sigh as they caressed along his scalp, this time moving the entire length of his hair until the ends fell against his back again. Knowing that Kurogane had heard his moan - the whole forest had probably heard it - and knowing that the tone of it had been unmistakable was mortifying. Horrifying. Sweet merciful God kill me now scary. But having the ninja deliberately repeat the caress was so confusing that he got up the courage to slowly, fearfully turn his head around with a question in his eyes.

Fai had been afraid to see understanding and disgust mingled together in Kurogane's face, as well as struggling against the old impulse to flee or make a joke. They were long past that stage though and it would have been too deep of an insult to Kurogane for him to do otherwise now than face his friend and the consequences, be they what they may. Thankfully, that well-loved face was not closed off, haughty and offended, or openly showing anger or distaste either. Instead, Kurogane's expression was all alive with what Fai thought to be curiosity and a bit of uncertainty in that tiny up-quirk of those dark brows, and the interest in those red eyes had the wizard's heart leaping up into his throat. Hope suddenly burned hot and painful in his chest as well as a sharp, icy fear that it would be extinguished shortly, and Fai began to have difficulty breathing.

He couldn't bring himself to say anything despite the terrible anxiety of not knowing and just waiting for a reaction. It had taken all his courage just to meet that intent gaze. Mercifully, Kurogane spoke, and after only (ten thousand years) a few seconds.

"Was that for me, or do you just really like having your hair combed?"

Yay, an easy question. Was Fai lusting after the ninja or was he one of those weirdos with a strange fetish? Trust Kurogane to make things difficult. What made it even more awkward was the answer to the query.

"Both," Fai said after pausing a moment to experience heart failure. "I like having my hair touched, and...I'm in love with you." He kept his eyes locked on the man he'd just confessed to, heart thundering in his chest and a massive stress headache building up behind his eyes, and when Kurogane just gave a thoughtful "oh" he almost hauled off and punched the man.

"Kuro-sama, you can't ask me a question like that and just say '_oh_' when I answer it!" he protested, and probably would have rushed on to say much more than he'd meant to and definitely more than he should have, except that Kurogane suddenly gave a short, barking laugh and looked at him with an expression that on any other man in the world would have been categorized as apologetic.

"Give me a minute, damn it," the dark-haired man said, his voice rich with amusement, and it was so strange to see him responding cheerfully and without any resentment at the impatience and frustration being dumped on him that the wizard blinked and then relaxed, slumping down a bit and settling in to wait quietly as requested.

The tension had barely gone out of his shoulders, however, before a tan hand was reaching up, sliding along his jaw and curling into a fist around the hair at his nape. The warm, rough fingers were firm against Fai's skin and left fiery pinprick sensations in their wake, and he shivered again at the feeling. Having Kurogane grab a fistful of his hair right after Fai had confessed through both word and action that he really, _really _liked having his hair touched was so full of implication and hope that it had Fai trembling. Kurogane bent toward him then, gently pulling at the same time so that Fai was also leaning close, and he felt so dizzy from lack of breath that he impulsively clutched at the ninja's wrist to anchor himself. That was solid. That was real. The rest of it might be a fever dream but that warm, muscular forearm and strong, steady pulse was something he could latch on to for balance.

The wizard was so fixated on getting more than an "oh" as a reply that right up until the moment Kurogane's lips touched his, he was still waiting for the ninja to actually _speak_ a proper response. And then he realized that the hand in his hair and the mouth on his _was_ Kurogane's answer to his confessions, and somewhere in the vast ocean of relief and gratitude and love and joy and lust that welled up and washed over him was a quiet laugh at himself for thinking that the man would respond with words.


	2. First Kiss

His first kiss with Kurogane was a beautiful mix of contradictions. Like Kurogane. The hand at the back of his head was curled in a tight fist, but there was care in the way that it was just tugging lightly and not yanking. There was nothing tentative or hesitant in the kiss either; those lips were pressed firmly against his, surprisingly soft and moving in small nibbling motions against him. And yet while Kurogane had moved first to kiss him and was holding him in place still, it remained just that; their first kiss. Sweet, soft, careful and not moving beyond that. Light, gentle, warm and not growing any more heated.

Fai had been the one to confess and Kurogane had been the one to pull them together, and now the blonde began to feel that the ninja was waiting for him, somehow. Waiting for him to say something, or ask for something, perhaps. This was not because the taller was being passive and still by any means. There were two hands curling into the hair at the base of his head now, thumbs softly flicking over his earlobes and teasing at the soft skin just behind his jaw, sending pleasant tingles down his spine. And Kurogane's mouth was not idle either, pulling away, again and again, an infinitesimal distance to brush feather-light over Fai's mouth and then come back down in a gentle nip of slightly parted lips over an as-of-yet untasted section of skin.

The blonde reveled in each sensation, and wondered at the measured pace, and had time enough to do plenty of both as the slow, sweet kisses went on and on. In his daydreams and nighttime fantasies, he hadn't imagined Kuro-sama to be one for taking anything slow. His image of Kurogane as a lover had been built upon his image of Kurogane as a warrior; a man of action, decisive and aggressive, wasting little time on preliminaries and going in straight for the kill. Capable of controlled violence on the battlefield that Fai imagined would translate to controlled passion in the bedroom.

If he'd been told that his confession would result in a kiss and then asked to predict how the rest of the late afternoon would speed along, he might have guessed that the kiss would have quickly turned hot and heavy and that he'd have found himself on his back in less than a minute, with a hot-eyed ninja looming over him, all lustful growls and greedy hands. And he wouldn't have minded in the least.

He wouldn't have guessed that Kurogane would be content to just nibble lightly on him and softly brush his hands against his face and in his hair, minute after minute. Fai didn't mind this scenario in the least either, good God no, but he did wonder when the oft-times impatient-for-action warrior would move for more. And as uncertain as he had been about whether or not his romantic feelings were returned, now that they were locked together in a kiss, he thought his confidence in being able to read the man was back in full.

One of Fai's hands was still curled around Kurogane's wrist, and he could feel the ninja's pulse kick with every little pleased hum that their kisses pulled from the wizard. When Fai's fingers tightened at a particularly delicious shiver running down his spine, the thick fingers coiling and carding through his hair would twitch a bit. And between the soft nips and nibbles were now warm breaths panted across his lips. Fai could feel the tension rise in his old friend and future lover, and wondered if Kuro-sama were beginning to feel that sweet ache of impatience as much as he himself was, and if so, what the man was waiting for.

While waiting and wondering, Fai grew more and more relaxed and comfortable with all the new sensations. With every repetition of a soft press of lips or gentle scrape of nails across his skin, he grew less distracted with the amazement of being kissed at all, and began to simply enjoy it. Instead of everything being wildly distracting, it all grew to be simply delightful. His quiet gasps of wonder and surprise grew into murmurs of contentment and growing desire, and suddenly he was pressing back into each kiss with growing confidence, raising a hand to thread his fingers through short black spikes and humming happily into the nonexistent space between them.

It turned out that _that_ was what Kurogane had been waiting for.

The taller man broke the kiss and Fai opened his eyes, gazing hazily up to see red eyes fixed intently, intensely upon him. It sent a thrill through his body and he was moving forward unthinkingly, taking a firmer grip on that muscular neck and letting Kurogane's arm go in order to plant that hand on a strong thigh as he shifted and crawled forward a bit through the whispering leaves. He was too roused now for shyness and besides, what was there left to be shy over? This man knew him, inside and out, knew every bloody detail of his past, knew every secret he'd ever held in his heart now, and was still holding him, kissing him, and smiling down at him with that heated, approving look.

As he closed the distance between them, now kneeling practically in the ninja's lap, Kurogane leaned forward again, but this time his eyes did not close all the way and his lips were parted as well. It wasn't really a kiss, at least not as Fai expected, but more like a nuzzle, hot breaths ghosting over him as skin grazed skin, parted, hovered, missed. He chased after Kurogane's mouth, trying to nip, asking to be kissed, his own half-lidded eyes curious and questioning and utterly enchanted at this strange teasing sort of caress. As he tilted his head up, trying to close the shifting gap, his mouth fell open too and then his lips were finally captured in a moist, warm kiss.

Pale lids fluttered shut and he hummed quietly in mild surprise. Not just at the feel of it, and the way it made him feel, but at realizing how Kurogane was leading and coaxing him along. Not demanding, not bossing him around, not rushing or forcing or taking even when Fai would have been more than happy to let him. Kurogane was watching him, gauging reactions, waiting and wanting to move together.

Fai hadn't been wrong to assume that Kurogane would love just like he fought. He had only been mistaken in looking at the man from an opponent's viewpoint rather than an ally's. When you were on the wrong end of that sharp, silvery blade, then yes, Kurogane was fierce and merciless and unyielding, all fangs and fire and flame. But when you were at his side, all that talent and power and ferocity was focused on keeping you safe from all harm. Kurogane would protect him from enemies and even from his own self.

Fai suddenly felt a rush of affection and admiration and gratitude that overwhelmed even the most poignant longing he'd felt while thinking his feelings were unrequited. Long arms were thrown about the ninja's shoulders and Fai pulled himself close, meeting the next open-mouthed kiss more than halfway and putting every bit of passion and desire that the other had roused in him into it. The hands cradling his head clenched, almost spasmed closed into fists, and then they were slithering down the wizard's shoulders and back to crush their bodies together just as their mouths already were.

Being drawn close in such a way raised Fai to his knees and he was suddenly taller, head tucked down and making the ninja throw his head back to keep their lips locked. On impulse he decided to let gravity help them get closer and pushed his knees insistently against the forest floor, toppling them easily over and breaking the kiss as balance deserted them temporarily. The taller had to break an arm away to catch himself on one elbow as he went down, the other arm tight around Fai's waist, and then they were lying in the fallen foliage, breathless and just looking at each other for a moment. Fai was just as wide-eyed as the other, his own actions catching him by surprise.

He became aware of their surroundings again in that still moment; the rich earthy air and cool carpet of leaves, the green-gold canopy overhead with its tattered curtains of sunlight pouring down, faint birdsong and a breeze. And at the center of his universe, the sweat and musk scent of his lover and the hard muscles underneath smooth fabric, bright red eyes that he could drown in and strong arms to anchor him, and hot breath escaping in ragged pants.

Fai was happy, plain and simple, and he felt a wide smile break over his face. He felt flushed and he knew his eyes must be glittering almost madly with all the love and lust he felt for the man underneath him. Kurogane's answering grin and soft caress of Fai's face nearly broke the wizard's heart open from not being able to contain all the emotion welling up in him. With a meaningless murmur of he knew not what, Fai pulled himself close again and devoured the eager lips that awaited him.

He felt overwhelmed and overexcited, and as if he couldn't bear any more happiness or else he might break free and just go running through the forest until he collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He trembled and clung and kissed Kurogane almost desperately, unable to get close enough to satisfy himself. Fai felt a chuckle reverberate in that massive chest he was laying atop and then with a quick tensing of muscles for his only warning, was flipped over onto his back. The wizard found himself neatly pinned from head to toe and loving every bit of it. The ground cradled him and Kurogane was pressing down on him with his body and enclosing him in his arms and _that_was what he had wanted.

Fai also wanted very much to just press right up into another kiss, but Kurogane pulled away, and then pulled even further away with a grin when the wizard's eager mouth strained upwards, trying to make contact. Blue eyes narrowed, and Fai's mouth was too busy panting, so those eyes just accused him silently of being mean. The glittering glare faded soon enough, however, as they took in the sight of Kurogane gazing down with that new look that left the shorter man utterly breathless in a way that has nothing to do with the weight on his chest and everything to do with the fondness visible in that open expression.

The blonde felt his own expression melt into an almost pained, yearning one and that smug grin on the ninja's face softened as well, and when Fai reached up to touch Kurogane's cheek he ended up missing because of the way the taller quickly leaned in to continue their interrupted kisses. Kurogane closed in with lips parted and Fai met him in the same way with his head tilted just so, a quick learner made a natural genius through extreme motivation. Lightly trembling fingers carded quickly through black hair, pressing hard against scalp when they couldn't find purchase in the short spikes. Kurogane gave a low growl that Fai felt from his teeth all the way down to his toes, and when he moaned into the kiss at the first wet touch of a tongue against his, he felt the ninja shiver.

Pinned so well between an insistent mouth and heavy body above and firm hands and the ground below, Fai couldn't arch up into the kiss, so he simply pulled harder with his hands and made the heated kiss bruising instead. He pressed back with his own tongue immediately, noisy at the slick heat and intimacy of it all. The feeling of being loved and desired burned through whatever was left of hesitation and lust swept even the ashes away.

He writhed in what little wiggle room was left to him and Kurogane growled. Pale hands clawed and clutched at every bit of skin and shirt they could get at and Kurogane's arms tightened around him. Fai squirmed until he freed one leg and hooked his ankle high around his lover's thigh and Kurogane settled himself further between Fai's legs, crooking one long limb under the thigh that Fai had clamped against the ninja's hip. They tangled together, limbs and tongues and mindless noises, dragging each other down faster and faster from that laughing, light exchange of affection into a more primal state of need and want.

Kurogane pressed down and Fai arched up and then suddenly they were both tearing away from each other's mouths, all tensed muscles and gritted teeth and desperately clutching hands. Kurogane made a strangled noise into Fai's neck and the wizard gasped up at the rustling trees, eyes wide and seeing nothing. Fai unlocked first and arched up again, hands raking across the small of Kurogane's back and heels digging into the debris littering the forest floor. The dark-haired man growled something unintelligible and drove his hips down hard against him and this time Fai snapped his head back and cried out.

They'd switched over from sweet romance to greedy grappling somewhere along the way, and as if satisfied that Fai was going to match his desire at every overture, Kurogane no longer held back and waited for his lover to catch up, holding his hand and tugging him gently along. Instead, they raced. There was nothing cautious left in the way they explored and experimented; it was two adults who'd both done this before but never with each other, knowing what to do and just needing to find out which way was best with this current partner. They understood the basic need driving them both and were confident that the minor details would work themselves out along the way.

The jolts of pleasure shooting up Fai's spine and exploding in his skull seemed to be having the same devastating effect on his lover. Fai reveled in the noises Kurogane made as they rocked together and didn't try to tame his own reactions, simply letting desire wash over him and carry him away. He didn't care about anything at the moment; only this, only the closeness and heat, and getting as much of it as he could. Lust coiled and burned and built within his core and Fai was growing greedy for more. His hands were tugging at shirt tails and collar and he realized he was murmuring against Kurogane's lips instead of just gasping and groaning, and it was a moment before he could rise up out of his mental fog to understand what Kurogane was saying back.

"Mmm, more," he hummed against warm, wet lips, and drew his hands up Kurogane's sides, delighting in the feel of muscles and bone under smooth skin and crumpling the edges of the ninja's shirt away.

"Ahh, gods, want you." It was low and growly against his ear and Fai shivered and sucked in air through clenched teeth.

"_Yes_," he hissed, and stopped pulling at the collar of Kurogane's shirt to worm an insistent hand between them, bucking a bit to make room so he could get at the ninja's belt. He was so focused on his shifted priorities that he didn't understand the throaty "wait" that he heard, spoken right against his ear, but the hand that grabbed his wrist caught his attention and he opened his eyes to look up in utter confusion.

"What?" Fai asked, his words bewildered and breathless. "I thought..."

Sweat beaded on the ninja's forehead and he looked almost as half as flushed as Fai felt, and considering the difference in their skin tones, that was saying quite a bit. Frown lines marred the tan brow and Kurogane shook his head and didn't say anything at first, as if needing to gather his thoughts and breath.

"We need to stop..." were the first words out of the ninja's mouth, and Fai blinked. If this had been the dark, piney forest in Yama he might have laughed and broken away and Kurogane would have been furious with him. If he had been lying on the cold concrete in Infinity he might have snarled and lashed out at the man and they would have ended up having extremely angry sex. If they had been grappling with each other while struggling to heal in Nihon he might have sighed and curled up into himself and they would have been stiff and stilted with each other all over again. But it was today.

"I _will_ kill you if you stop now," Fai said with a quirked eyebrow, and when Kurogane broke into a brief laugh, thought to himself that he hadn't really meant it as a joke.

"You really want to do it like this?" Kurogane asked, mouth curved in a lop-sided smile and coming up on his elbows to look fondly down at the unamused wizard. "In the dirt, I don't have anything on me we can use and the kid and bun might even come looking for us. And even if they don't, you want to walk - well, limp - back into town all sticky and sweaty?"

Fai pouted, earning another chuckle from his too-practical lover, but admitted to himself that the taller man was probably right. Damn him. Kurogane smiled ruefully and wisped some hair out of Fai's eyes with one hand while continuing along his thought trail, voice lower now and serving to smooth out the expression on the wizard's face.

"I want a bed, and privacy, and plenty of time to make you mine," Kurogane murmured. "We'll have other opportunities for quick tumbles; if we don't find them I'll _make _them, but first times should be special. Don't want to hurt you any more than I absolutely have to." Kurogane leaned in as he spoke the last sentence, and as their lips pressed together in a soft, almost chaste kiss, Fai silently chided the man.

_Oh, you really shouldn't have been so sweet, Kuro-sama. There's no way I'm letting you go now._


End file.
